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Month: February 2016

I wrote a blog a couple of months ago regarding Peyton Manning being a “Stand Up Guy.” In light of the facts that have surfaced recently regarding Peyton Manning during his time at the University of Tennessee, where he sexually assaulted Dr. Jamie Naughright, I felt compelled to clarify my article.

My blog is referring to Peyton being an outstanding player, teammate and a leader in the locker room and on the field. It is not about is personal life because, I didn’t know anything about it. However, what this shows is that Peyton Manning is human and his personal life is crap just like a lot of other people and in typical fashion the media builds you up and tears you down, “a la La’el Collins” whose ex-girlfriend was murdered and the media immediately started alluding to the possibility that he was involved as it turns out he was not. However, that “rush to judgment” by the media and their lack of investigative skills caused this young man’s stock to plummet and he fell out of the draft. Interesting, right?

Back to Peyton, his father (i.e. Archie Manning) and the University of Tennessee. Let me start by saying, based on what I’ve read recently, the story was buried by the media when it happened initially. The question must be asked, why was it buried? There was a cover up by Archie Manning and the University of Tennessee. Also Peyton lied under oath, which children do when they get caught with theirs hands in the cookie jar. Peyton was 20 at the time and old enough to know better but like most superstar athletes, he believed he was above the law and would not suffer any repercussions from his bad behavior because “daddy” would fix it and for long time he had gotten away with it. Arrogance can be a persons’ undoing and that is what happened with Peyton and his father. In his book entitled “Manning” it is my understanding that he made very unflattering remarks about Dr. Naughright, which resulted in her filing a lawsuit against them because they violated the gag order. In the words of Malcolm X, “the chickens are coming home to roost.” What you do in the dark, eventually comes to the light.

The real stand up guy and the one who lost the most for standing firm on the truth by refusing to lie about the circumstances and accuse two black teammates of the sexual assault is Malcolm Saxon. He lost his eligibility because he refused to lie for the Manning’s and the University of Tennessee.

Do I still believe Peyton Manning is a stand up guy? When it comes to how he handled himself on the field, in the locker room, with coaches and with other players, yes he is still a stand up guy.

As far as, his personal behavior when he sexually assaulted Dr. Naughright and lied about it and has not taken responsibility for it even today, he is not a “stand up guy.” Behind the image of the “All-American Boy” that the media created, lies a liar and an abuser. The hypocrisy of the media, Peyton and Archie Manning and the University of Tennessee is just another example of why people should not allow the media to shape their opinions.

The 2016 NBA All-Star game was unwatchable. The analysts kept saying that the fans wanted to see a more competitive game but the game is about showcasing the talent of the athletes, however, I beg to differ. The athletes showcased their talent during the first half of the season and that’s why the fans voted for them as All-Stars. The fans are interested in seeing how the best of the best perform against each other. Fans are not interested in only seeing dunks, layups and three point shots.

The game was unwatchable and just pathetic. A game like that would never have been played during the Magic, Bird, Jordan, Thomas era. What has happened to the competitive spirit of the players? Are they afraid to make a mistake?

The dunk contest was the best we’ve seen in years. LaVine and Gordon definitely elevated the contest to another level. We have not seen that kind of competitive spirit since Vince Carter. Why haven’t KD, LeBron or Westbrook participated in the dunk contest or the skills challenge? The players of today, can’t be afraid to lose. It’s about bragging rights. As for the winner of the dunk contest, it my humble opinion Gordon won.

If this is what fans have to look forward to, don’t bother with the game, just host the skills challenge, three-point shooting, the dunk contest and call it a day. They may as well have given lettermen jackets if we’re going to relegated to a game like that. Are the players of today afraid to lose? Has the media caused them to shy away from what the game is really about?

The game was just a joke and it’s unfair to subject the fans to a game that touts having the best of the best, yet we don’t see anything remotely close to the best of the best performing. Paul George was the only player that put forth any real effort.

Okay, I readily admit that my prediction about the winner of the Super Bowl was incorrect. I picked the Panthers to beat the Broncos. I knew that the game would be a defensive game and it was but I thought the Panthers would be victorious.

My expectation was that the two defenses would be evenly matched but Cam would be able to scramble and confuse the Denver defense thereby resulting in more points for the Panthers. Peyton isn’t mobile and doesn’t have the arm strength he once had so my expectation was that he would be sacked more and have a couple of interceptions and/or fumbles. The funny thing is, this actually happened to Cam because Denver’s defense is so awesome. Cam should have been allowed to run more and not stand in the pocket. The NFL needs to come to terms with the fact that the QB position has evolved.

Clearly, I was dead wrong about the match up. Von Miller is the truth and he deserved the MVP award. Miller is so fast that he is hard to defend and he came to win. That is not to say, the Panthers didn’t come to win because they did but the speed of the Denver defense was too powerful for the Panthers. I applaud the Denver management for doing such a great job building the team’s defensive unit after the thrashing they received from Seattle two years ago.

The Panthers played well and they have nothing to be ashamed of. The team is young and they have a great leader in Cam. Cam will win a Super Bowl because that’s just who this young man is. He plays to win.

Hopefully, Peyton will retire in the off season because it’s obvious his time in sun has faded. He is a standup guy who truly loves the game but go out on top because we all know that Denver will be working on getting Osweiler up to speed during the off season.

This article will not be long but I had to write about what a dumbass Ryan Murphy of the Denver Broncos is. I try to give athletes a pass when they make stupid mistakes but decisions like the one Ryan Murphy made to deal with a friend from the “hood” and a prostitute, days before the Super Bowl just makes me ill.

First of all, he is on the Broncos “practice squad.” Let me say that one more time, the “practice squad.” His focus should have been trying to make the roster, not a piece ass. That alone should have given him more than enough reason to not go hunting down a two bit “ho,” yes I said “ho” not whore, in a Motel 6 parking lot days before the Super Bowl. He was drafted last year by the Seahawks, let go and was picked up by the Broncos for their practice squad and what does he do, pick up a prostitute with his friend. The prostitute was caught in a sting operation and she asked the police to allow her to get some personal things and leads them back to the car where these two fools are waiting for her. Clearly, she decided not to go down alone or to take one for the “team” because when does a prostitute have personal items in the John’s car? What the hell was up with that?

Fortunately, he was not arrested merely questioned but it doesn’t matter because the team found out and shipped his stupid ass back to Denver. He pissed away the opportunity to participate with the team and attend the biggest game of the season for piece of ass that he could have gotten for free because there are plenty of thirsty whores hanging around in the hotel lobby for that opportunity.

Second, all he had to do was ask a veteran athlete where are the “ho’s” and he would have been directed to the downstairs lobby area in the hotel. There are plenty of parties being thrown by large corporations, including the NFL, and believe me they fly in high class “ho’s” for these fools because God forbid they have some semblance of control for a few days.

Young men sometimes your friends and family don’t have your best interest at heart. This is a job not a vacation.

WHO IS TEACHING THESE YOUNG MEN TO RESPECT THEMSELVES AND WOMEN?

Does anyone in their inner circle have a moral compass? This behavior has to stop.

Well, my knee jerk reaction to the firing of Coach Blatt by the Cleveland Cavaliers management was that the firing was unwarranted and would prove to be the undoing of the Cavaliers, especially since he took them to the NBA finals last year and they are leading the Eastern Conference this season.

When the Cavaliers lost their first game with Tyronn Lue at the helm as head coach, I said HA, idiots the team is headed for a crash landing as a result of that snap decision. Incidentally, I thought LeBron James had something to do with Coach Blatt’s firing as well.

Before writing my finger pointing “Nan,” “Nan,” “Nan” article, I pulled back and waited to see how the team would perform with 38 year old Tyronn Lue as the head coach. It’s very possible, my rush to judgment about the Cavaliers management decision and LeBron James, was just that, “a rush to judgment” and I NEVER want to be accused of not giving anyone a fair chance. Albeit, sometimes I will pull the trigger and ask questions later and dare anyone to say anything or go against my stance but I digress.

The Cavaliers last four games under Coach Lue have been impressive. It takes a lot to manage BIG personalities and a coach has to be able to do that in the NBA. Not only does he have to be able to manage the personalities but he has to be able to make the proper substitutions, put together a game plan that all of the players will buy into and get in their faces when necessary. The Cavaliers beat the Spurs soundly a couple of days ago and I must admit, I was shocked. Initially, I thought they would lose because the game started with each player just going down the court, throwing up shots and missing. Coach Lue got them under control and they started passing the ball around and playing more like a team than individuals.

While researching Coach David Blatt’s pedigree, I discovered that he NEVER played professionally in the NBA nor had he coach in the NBA. Not having done one of the two was a recipe for the disaster, can we say Chip Kelly? He played professionally for twelve (12) years in the European league, which is not the same as playing in the NBA. If you’re going to make the player to coach transition in the NBA, it’s my opinion that in order to succeed in the role, he should have either played or been an assistant coach in the NBA. Nothing beats experience and he was out of his element when dealing with the players. Coach Lue played 12 seasons in the NBA and was in his eighth season as an assistant coach, the last three seasons being with the Cavaliers.

I realize some of you are saying the same thing I said when he was terminated and that was, “he coached the team to a championship.” Well, actually it was probably more so the talent of the players that got the team to the championship. The real question is: Should he have been hired in the first place? My answer to this question is NO. The reason my answer is no is because Lebron was coming back to the team and with his lack of NBA experience, Coach Blatt was doomed to fail. He was a rookie coach who didn’t think he was a rookie, which was his first mistake. His second mistake was not knowing how to hold LeBron accountable for his mistakes and LeBron did make mistakes and so did the other players but everyone follows LeBron’s lead.

Once the other players saw his weaknesses, the game was over for him. During the championship series last year, we saw Cavalier players mentally checkout of the game and as a coach you can’t allow that to happen. What worked in the European league is NOT going to work in the NBA because the competition is at a different level and the personalities are much bigger. Prior to firing Coach Blatt, did management have a conversation with him about their expectations? Did management ever voice their concerns over the direction the team was headed? Also, if he was having difficulty managing LeBron, and he was, he should have gone to management, discussed his concerns and had a private conversation with LeBron so that everyone could get on the same page. Management must learn to properly vet the coaches abilities before hiring them.

It was very obvious, once everyone returned this season from injuries and what have you, they were not gelling as a team, notwithstanding the fact that the team was still winning.

In order to be competitive and have a chance at beating the Warriors, something had to change for the Cavaliers and unfortunately it was the coach. I have to admit that the decision to terminate to Coach Blatt and hire Coach Lue was a good decision by Cleveland’s management and it will probably pay dividends in the long run. My assessment of Coach Blatt is that he does have good coaching skills but they are better suited for a team that’s in a rebuilding stage like, let’s the LAKERS!!!